SS24 Observations

Name Class

Looking out for things and describing things in detail are two very important skills for
a scientist.

Spotting things
Look at the two pictures below. In Picture B the scientist is not being very careful.
There are four things that he is doing wrong. Circle each one on Picture B and write a
short explanation about each one on the lines below.

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Mistake 1
Mistake 2
Mistake 3
Mistake 4

Describing your observations

When you observe things you must make sure that you write down a careful
description. If you are using chemicals you need to say:
• Is it a liquid, solid or gas?
• What colour is it?
• Is it see-through? Transparent is the word for this.
Things you can’t see throught are opaque.
• If it is a liquid, are there some bits floating in it? Is it cloudy? Cloudy liquids are
called suspensions.

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Exploring Science for QCA Copymaster File 7 594 © Pearson Education Limited 2002
SS24 Observations (continued)

? 1 Use some of the words above to describe the following substances.

a water
b salt
c muddy water
d cardboard
e glass
2 How would you describe this
ant to someone who could
not see it?

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3 Make a list of similarities and differences between you and a mouse.

4 You don’t always observe things with your eyes! What about your other
senses? You hear things, smell things, taste things and feel things. Scientists
need to use all their senses.
a Describe what eating an apple feels, tastes and sounds like.

b Shut your eyes and describe all the sounds that you can hear.

S Developing skills in: observing

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Exploring Science for QCA Copymaster File 7 595 © Pearson Education Limited 2002